Follow KPCC

Would an open-carry gun law be better than more concealed weapons in California?

by AirTalk

A Utah teacher is shown how to handle a handgun by instructor Clint Simon (R), at a concealed-weapons training class to 200 Utah teachers on December 27, 2012 in West Valley City, Utah. George Frey/Getty Images

Share

Orange County Sheriff's Department has seen a huge influx of applications for concealed carry weapons (CCW) permits.

This follows the department's announcement that it would ease permitting in response to last month's federal appeals court ruling that found San Diego's restrictions on CCW permits - similar to many in California - were unconstitutional.

Adam Winkler, California-based 2nd amendment scholar, says gun control advocates are left wondering how to minimize the number of guns on California streets. He wrote in an LA Times opinion piece, "Lawmakers who support gun control might want to consider another option [to appealing]: Rewrite state law to allow people to carry guns openly."

Open carry is the norm in many states, and until three years ago, that included California. Winkler argues allowing open carry would mean lawmakers legally could ban people from carrying concealed weapons.

Guest:

Adam Winkler, Constitutional law professor at UCLA; author of “Gunfight: The Battle over the Right to Bear Arms in America” (2011); writer for The Huffington Post & Daily Beast